Gattuso is married to Monica, whom he met while playing for Rangers. The couple dated for a long while before marrying, and have one daughter, Gabriela. Monica is the sister of GMTV's Los Angeles correspondent Carla Romano.

Gattuso achieved a measure of notoriety for his postmatch celebration after Italy won the World Cup, during which he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch pantless, until FIFA officials forced him to cover up.

Gattuso has been capped over fifty times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, the Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, being one of the key players for the Italian team, winning the Man of the Match award in the 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage match against Ukraine.

Gattuso and several of his teammates shaved their heads during a post-match celebration after winning the 2006 World Cup. He continues to keep his hair closely cropped today in honour of the occasion.

Gattuso's style of play is characterised by fierce tackling and hard work - a style which has earned him the nickname of Ringhio ("Growl" or "the Snarler").